Process of recovering natural-gas gasoline from natural gas



M. P. YOUKER Filed April 9, 1923 PROCESS OF RECOVERING NATURAL GAS GASOLINE FROM NATURAL GAS 4 a 31 1 8.351: i: 16; w w n mug? Kw Fly 3 Patented Dec. 23, 1924'.

UNITED STATES PETROLEUM commNY, DELAWARE.

0F BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR '10 PHILLIPS 0F BARTLESVILLE,

OKLAHOMA, A. CORPORATION OF PROCESS OF RIF-COVERING NATURAL-GAS GASQLINE FROM NATURAL GAS.

Application filed April 9,

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, MALCOLM P. YoUKER, a citizen of. the United States, residing at Bartlesville, in the county of Washington and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Process of Recovering Natural-Gas Gasoline from Natural Gas, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the recovery 0 natural gas gasoline from natural gas by a combined compression and refluxing process; an object of my invention is to recover more gasoline of a given volatility from a given natural gas than has heretofore been possible; another object of my invention is to recover from a given natural as a less volatile natural gas gasoline than1as heretofore been possible. It is understood that my invention may be utilized to recover liquid hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon gases other than natural gas which are not conde-nsable at atmospheric temperatures at atmospheric pressure, such as the tail gases which are given off from the condenser of hydrocarbon oil processing stills, or the vapors which are given off from hydrocarbon oil in storage, and that I do not limit myself to the application of my invention to the recovery of natural gas gasoline from natural gas, but intend to apply the principle of my invention to other similar operations.

My invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 illustrates diagrammatically in .side elevation one form of apparatus for carrying out my process. Figure 2 is a vertical section through the fractionating column, and Figure 3 is a vertical section through the liquid trap;

Similar numerals refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 is a compressor suitably connected to a prime mover 2 by a belt 3. Compressor 1 and prime mover 2 are mounted on a suitable foundation 4. A pipe 5 leads from the top of a fractionating column 6 to the intake of compressor 1. A cooling coil 7 leads from the discharge of compressor 1 to a liquid trap 8. Fractionating column 6 and trap 8 are suitably supported by foundations" 20 1923. Serial No. 630,764.

and 21 respectively. A ipe 9 leads from the top of trap 8 to a loa ed valve 10 which is set to hold pressure on trap 8. A pipe line 11 in which is mounted a valve 12 leads from the lower part of trap 8 to the upper part of and projects into fractionating column 6. That part of pipe 11 which projects 'intofractionating column 6 is perfof rated. pipe 13 leads-to and projects into the lower part of fractionating column 6. That part of pipe 13 which projects into fractionating column 6 is perforated.

pipe 14 connects into fractionating column 6 at a point below the point at which pipe 13 enters fractionating column 6. Pipe 13, fractionating column 6, pipe 5 compressor 1, cooling coil 7, trap 8, pipe 11 and pipe 14 are open and intercommunicating except that valve 12 in pipe except that the inter-communication 1s through the valves of compressor 1. Frac tionating column 6 is packed with broken ,stone packing 15. A perforated plate 16 in trap 8 supports broken stone packing 17. A perforated spray pipe 18 is suitably supported by hangers 19 directly over cooling coil 7 and is in constant communication with a suitable supply of water.

In the use of the apparatus above described for carrying out my new process, valve 12 is closed and compressor 1 is placed in operation and natural gas which is supplied through pipe 13 flows continuously upward in fractionating tower 6 thru the voids in broken stone packing 15 and out of fractionating column 6 through pipe 5 into compressor 1, where said gas is compressed and continuously forced into cooling coil 7. Due to the combined eflect of being cooled by the water spray which is delivered continuously over cooling coil 7 by spray pipe 18, and being compressed by the compressor 1, some of-the least volatile components of the gas which enters cooling coil 7 are condensed in cooling coil 7 and the resultant liquid and gas flow continuously to trap 8. The gas which enters trap 8 flows continuously upward in trap 8 through the perforations in plate 16 and through the voids in broken stone packing 17 and out of trap 8 through pipe 9, and loaded valve 10. Loaded valve is set to hold a desired pressure on trap 8. The effect and purpose of the broken stone 10 is adjustable as to load'and.

8 may be closed, and

packing 17 is to collect and drain back into said supply of natural gas which flows and cooling the same gas in through pipe 13 and fractionating column 6 and pipe 5 to compressor 1. An interchange of components between the said gas which flows upward thru fractionating column 6 and the said liquid which flows downward through said fractionating column 6 takes place in said fractionating column, the effect of which is to increase the specific gravity and decrease tlievolatility of said liquid, as said liquid approaches the bottom of the said fractionating column. Since commercial specifications for'natural gas gasoline stipulate a maximum limiting volatility and a minimum limiting specific gravity this is an extremely desirable result, as the quantity of commercial natural gas gasoline which is obtained from a natural gas by my, process is much greater than the quantity of said could be obtained by simply compressing accordance with common practice.

The liquid which results from the counter-current scrubbing of said gas by said liquid in said fractionating column collects at the bottom of the fractionating column and is drawn from the fractionating column through pipe 14, This last mentioned liquid is natural gas gasoline, and is a finished product of my process. Another finished product of my process is the gas whichis discharged through loaded valve 10. This last mentioned gas may be used for fuel gas and is of superior quality for this purpose owing to its extreme dr ness.

The specific gravity and the volatility of the natural gas process are controlled through adjustment of the loaded valve. 10 to increase the pressure in trap 8 and cooling coil 7, which increases the volatility and decreases the specific gravity of the said gasoline or through adjustment of loaded valve 10 to decrease the pressure in trap 8 and cooling coil 7, which decreases the volatility and increases the specific gravity of the said gasoline.

It is well to thoroughly insulate fractionating column 6 and pipe 5 against heat inflow as the operating temperatures in these parts of the apparatus are low and any heat inflow from outside is disadvantageous to gasoline which gasoline recovered by my Any of that the gas, which may be natural gas or so called permanent gas, inlets at the lower portion of the fractionating .or rectifying column, flows upwardly 'therethrough, and is met by a descending counter-current flow of liquid component. This liquid component is obtained by Withdrawing vapors from the top of the column, and compressing to a greater pressure than exists in the rectifyin column. The vapors are then condense and separated, and the liquid resulting therefrom is expanded into the upper part of the column, establishin the temperature gradient in the column by taking advantage of the latent heat of the vaporized refluxing liquid. 7

I claim:

1. That step in the gasoline product of a a hydrocarbon gas, which consists in treat ing a hydrocarbon mixture to obtain a vapor component, compressing said component in the conditionin which it is obtained from said treatment to liquef the same, and returning the liquid to tile sphere of treat ment of said hydrocarbon mixture in intimate contact with the hydrocarbon mixture.

2. That process of rectifying hydrocarbon gases which consists in causing hydrocarbon gases to flow counter-current to and in contact with a hydrocarbon liquid, withdrawing liquid which results from said contact between said gases and said liquid, compressing and condensing gases which result from said contact between said liquid and said, gases, discharging the uncondensed gases, and forcing the liquid which is obtained by condensing said gases into the sphere of rectification under a pressure greater than exists in said sphere of rectification, said hydrocarbon liquid which is caused to flow counter-current to and in contact with the hydrocarbon gases being the condensate which is so forced into the sphere of recifiprocess of recovering a 3. The process forrecovering natural gas gasoline from natural gas which consists in, continuously charging natural gas upward through a fractionating column to a compressor, continuously compressing said natural gas with said compressor into a cooler, continuously cooling said natural gas in said desired volatility fromwarmer is cooler, continuously charging condensate, which results from said compression and said cooling of said'natural gas, downward through said fractionating column, continuously discharging from said cooler the residual gas which results from said compression and said cooling of said natural gas, and continuously withdrawing from said fractionating column natural gas gasoline which results from contact in said fractionating column between sa'idcondensate which is charged downward through said fractionatcolumn and said natural gas which is ing said fractionating charged upward through column.

4. The rocess for recovering natural gas gasoline om natural gas which consists in scrubbing natural gas with liquid components of said natura gas which are liquefied by com ressing and cooling the as which results rom said scrubbing of said natural gas with said liquid, the liquid which results from said scrubbing of said natural gas with said liquid being the natural gas gasoline which is recovered by the process.

5. The process for condensing h drocarbon oil vapors which do not rea ily condense at atmospheric pressure and temperature which consists in scrubbing said vapors with liquid components of said vapors which are liquefied by compressing and cooling the vapors which result from said scrubbing of said vapor with said liquid, the liquid which results from said scrubbing of said vapors with said liquid being the finished product of the process.

LooLM r. roman. 

